Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Surtain

Hi Brandon, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

Much of where I am today is attributable to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. In 2005 my family evacuated New Orleans on the day before the storm made landfall, many of them haven’t moved back since. I was 11 years old at the time and didn’t quite understand the magnitude of what was happening. About a month after the hurricane, school-aged children started to get enrolled into schools in Baton Rouge, where we’d evacuated to.

In the following months, I would visit the city and see the damage done by the flooding. At the time, I wasn’t aware of the dynamic nature of the built environment. It hadn’t occurred to me that we may not be moving back into our home. It hadn’t occurred to me that I’d never see most of my childhood friends and neighbors again. The loss of community wasn’t a concept that I’d been confronted with. I had my observations of my neighborhood, post-Katrina, but wasn’t able to fully grasp the erasure of place and Home.

In the years following the storm, my art practice would begin to speak to the observations I’d had following the storm. This eventually culminated in an art show to wrap up my undergraduate degree. The show was picked up in a regional newspaper. They were just as intrigued that was a college football player as they were by the art; however, the article led to the Dean of Tulane’s School of Architecture reaching out. He inquired about my art, its relationship to community and my interest in pursuing a Master’s of Architecture.

Following that conversation, I began Grad School at Tulane’s School of Architecture. While there, I learned that my observations of what had transpired in my neighborhood in New Orleans, wasn’t particular to only me. The issues that I’d seen with displacement, loss of Home, Community, Etc…, was prevalent around New Orleans and most other urban environments. This realization was catalytic for the course of my work and art. While at Tulane, I also pursued a Master’s of Sustainable Real Estate Development. It allowed me to gain a greater understanding of how we could play a part in Place-keeping to better preserve community.

My interest in Art, Architecture and Development has culminated in a workflow that resembles a more participatory design. My art is reflective of community, celebration, home, etc… My Design and Development practice is geared towards Affordable Housing, Community Engagement and Agency building for residents who may have not otherwise had it. With public facing art, I try to bring residents into the work; whether that’s through hiring local craftsmen, hosting community meetings, surveys, etc… My goal for my art and work is to galvanize residents and imbue a sense of agency, dignity and ownership of Home.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

It has not been a smooth road at all. Following the hurricane, there were a number of violent events in the neighborhood that we’d evacuated to. This caused a strain on an already vulnerable group. In those years, community was unstable. Only in hindsight can I fully digest what we’d grown accustom to. In many ways, it was much more difficult to transcend that environment than any other challenge I’ve faced since.

In my final semester of undergraduate, my apartment had gotten broken into and I went a week without a front door that closed or locked. I moved out and couch surfed between my mother’s living room and my friend’s air mattress. While in Grad School, I don’t think I was ever a great student. I had a strong conviction about the work but my technical expertise never quite matched.

There’s been a myriad of stumbles and setbacks. I don’t feel like I’ve “made it” today. I try to think of my life as a practice. There’s a general direction but never an end in mind.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I’d define my work as Art, Architectural Design and Real Estate Development.

My day job is in Affordable Housing Development. Beyond providing housing that’s affordable, we try develop community in a generative way. Many times residents haven’t been in a position to think about agency or upward mobility. The issues that they have to address on a daily basis are too urgent to allow them to think on a longer time horizon. With my work, I try to be a part of a collective effort to grant them the space, time and resources to begin working towards a more just and equitable future for the residents.

My Art practice is reflective of a similar intent. My oil paintings are mostly of the urban landscape. The work that I received my first bit of attention from was an exploration of my world pre-Hurricane Katrina. There was a nostalgia that’s ever present. In my art practice, I’m try to rectify that loss in a way. Because I get to shape the narrative, the paintings are generally of a celebratory nature. This is important to me because I want to give the viewer a reason for joy, even the foundation for the work harkens back to hardship at times.

The Architectural work is addressing the community in a parallel way. Over the years, I’ve worked in Public Interest Design. This means that every consideration for a design project is filtered through the lens of its positive and negative potential impacts on community. Design is never neutral, it can heal or hurt. I’ve worked with community to design/build public gardens, playgrounds and plazas in the community that I grew up in. That means the world to me and is what I’m most proud of. If there’s something that sets me apart, it’d be my conviction for the work. I don’t believe that my artistic or design expertise is special. I’ve just made a commitment to work in such a way that aims to be responsible with the tools that I have.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?

My favorite childhood moments were going outside and playing with family/friends. I’m fortunate to have a big family and grew up in an environment that had a lot of children. We’d primarily play football, being able to play and compete was the highlight of my day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brandonjuansurtain.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonjuansurtain/